Gauge



July 17, 1934. Wl AMES 1,966,424

A GAUGE Filed Sept. l2, 1928 I *aven/fo 21 Warren mes.

Patented `uly 17, 1934 1 UNITED STATESv PATENT oFF-ICE l Warren Ames, Waltham, Mass. v Application September 12,1928, Serial No. 305,354

n 7v Claims.

, purposes, while the yscope of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1

`v In they drawingz- Fig. lfshows' a front elevation of a gauge consltruc'tedY according to the invention;

'Fig.2 is"a rear view on an enlarged scale of thej gauge constructed according to Fig. 1 with the back plate removed;

i Figs. 3 and 4 respectively are sections on the lines 3-3 and 4 4 of Fig. 2; Y

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the bezel locking member according to Fig. 4; and n Fig. 6 illustrates the wire like spring member herein used for securing the bezel to the casing.

5, lReferring to the drawing, the gauge illustrated 2 .f1

comprises a-casing 1 having a back plate 3 removably secured thereto by screws 5 threaded intovthe tapped holes 7 in the casing. At its opposite end the casing is shown as provided with a front plate 9 removably secured to the fcafsing' by V*screws l1, said screws extending through arcuate slots 13, concentric with the axis of the casingfand threaded into the tapped holes 13 in the front plate. In this manner, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear, the front plate is rotatably adjustable relative to the cas-k in'g,the screws 1 1 which lock the front plate in its adjusted positionvbeingreadily accessible when the back plate 3 is removed. Herein the casing 1 and back and front plates 3 and 9 consti- 'tute' a-support for the gauge mechanism.

" As herein illustrated, the casing slidably` supports a contact feeler 15 in the form of a rod which extends diametrically through the casing. As shown, the rod 15 is provided with rack teeth .1'7, and is prevented from rotation by a Ypin 19 rigidly secured thereto and sliding in a longitudinal groove 21 formed in a block 23 secured to the front plate 9. The contact feeler 15 is urged toward its position shown by the draw- Yling by a spring 25 secured at one end to the pin 19 and at its other end to the casing, the limit of travel of the rod being determined by the two stop pins 27 carried thereby and cooperating with the inner wall of the casing.

As shown, meshing with the rack teeth 1'7 of (o1. say-.172)V the contact feeler is a pinion29, the staff 30 of which at one lend is journalled in a bracket 31 iixedly. secured Ato the front plate` 9 by screws 33, while the other end oflthe staff is journalled in the front plate. v `Herein.xedly secured to the stair 30 of the pinion 29 isa gear 35 which meshes with avcenter pinion 37, the stati 39 of the latter vbeing ljournalled in the bracket 31 and in the front plate 9. Conveniently, a torsion spring 40, coacting withfthe gear 35, is provided for taking up back-lash... This spring, asA will be understood by those skilled in the art, is connected at one end Ato a xed part ofthe casing and atits other end to .thegear 35rso as to urge the latter to rotate one direction. As shown, thestaff 39 carries an indicator which herein is in the form of a needle 41 cooperating with agraduated dial 43, the latter in normal operation of the gauge being operatively fixed to the casing so that reciprocatory movement of the contactfeeler relative to the casing willvbe indicated by movement of the needle re1- ative to the dial. v Y

It will beobservedthat the device so fardescribed 'comprises a gear toothed member, exeinpliiled by the contact feeler 15 provided with rack teeth 17, movable along axed path relative to a support exemplified bythe casing 1, while the indicator, exemplified by the needle 41, and the motion transmittingmeans, exem-v pliiied by the train of gearing connecting the rack teeth to the needle, are carried by a part, exemplied by the front plate. 9, adjustment of which relative to the casing is effective to move the indicator and motion transmittingrmeans as a unit relative to the support so as to move the pinion cooperating withthe gear toothed member more or less into mesh therewith. By this means proper meshing of the .pinion andthe gear toothed member, and compensation for wearr of the teeth, may be effected without the necessity of the gear driving the indicator pinion, said gear exempliiied by the gear 35 which meshes with the center pinion 37, moving with absolute accuracy Yabout the axial line of the indicator pinion, thus avoiding the disadvantage of prior devices in which it has been attempted to obtain an adjustment between the rack teeth and rack pinion, or between similar parts.

As herein illustrated the front plate 9 is of greater diameter than the casing 1 and adjacent its periphery is of reduced diameter so as to provide a thin, radial flange 45 projecting from the casing. The bezel 47, as herein illustrated, is provided with a shoulder 49 rotatably engaging CGT.

the flange 45, and it is further provided with an annular lateral flange 51 surrounding said flange 45 and projecting below it. As shown, the internal wall of the flange 5l is provided with an annular groove 53 into which is sprung a wire like spring member 55, the spring member being of such diameter that it may readily be entered into the space between the lateral flange 51 and the exterior Wall of the casing, and preferably being of such length as to approximately entirely surround the casing. As shown the bezel is provided with an internal flange 57 providing a shoulder against which abuts the periphery of the dial 43, and between the dial and the front plate is a spring plate 59 which forces the dial against the shoulder, thus causing the dial to rotate with the bezel and the latter to be urged The dial as above described may be rotated relative to the needle 4l by rotating the bezel, which rotation may be availed. of to set the needle over a given dial graduation, as for example over the zeromark. For locking the bezel in its adjusted positions relative to the casing I have herein shownthe casing as provided on its eX- terior with a member 61, (Figs. 4 and 5), one end of which enters the space between the casing and the flange 5l of the bezel. The opposite end of the member 61 is slotted as indicated at 63 so as to embrace the shank 65 of a screw threaded into the casing, the under side of the head 67 of the screw resting on the top surface of the member at opposite sides of the slotted portion thereof. As shown, the intermediate portion of the member 61 at its under side is curved and contacts with the bottom of a slot 69 in the exterior wall of the casing coextensive in Width with the member 6l. As will be obvious, the head of the screw 67 may be turned to rock the mem-I ber 61 on its fulcrum, the latter afforded by the curved under surface ofthe member, toA cause the end of the member opposite the screw to press against the inner side of the flange 51 of the bezel and lock the bezel in its adjusted positions relative to the casing.

It will be understood that the gauge herein described constitutes butv one embodiment of my invention, and that wide deviations may be madev from this embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Iclaim:

l. A gauge having, in combination, a hollowA casing provided with a removable back plate and a rotatable front plate, the latter secured in adjusted position relative to said casing by means accessible when said back plate is removed5' a movable indicator member operatively carried by said front plate, a rack mounted for reciprocation on said casing, a train of gearing for actuating said indicator member operatively carried by said front plate, said trainA of gearing comprising a pinion meshing with said 'rack.

2. A gauge having, in combination, a hollow casing having a rotatably adjustable front plate, an indicator comprising a normally stationary dial, means operatively supporting said dial on said casing in rotatable adjustable relation thereto, a pointer carried by said front plate cooperating with said dial, a rack mounted for reciprocation in a fixed path relative to said casing, a train of gearing operatively carried by said front plate for actuating said pointer,A said train comprising a pinion meshing with said rack.

3. A gauge having, in combination, a support, a bezel rotatably mounted on said support, a dial rotatable with said bezel, said support having radially projecting means adjacent said bezel, the latter having a lateral annular flange surrounding said means, and a removable spring member carried by said annular flange cooperating with said radially projecting means for securing said bezel to said support.

4. A gauge comprising, in combination, a support, a bezel rotatably mounted on said support,v a dial rotatable with said bezel, said support havev ing a' front plate providing an exteriorly. project-ing annular flange, said bezel having a lateral annular flange surrounding said projecting flange, a removable spring member'carriedby. said lateral flange, said spring member cooperating with said projecting flange for securing said bezel to said support.

5. A gauge comprising, in combination, asup! port having a projecting annularflange` at one end thereof, a bezel having a lateral flange surrounding said projecting ila'nge, a'springl member carried by said lateral flange and cooperating with said projecting flange Vfor securing said; bezel in rotatable relation to saidv support, a dialj carried by said bezel, and spring means between said dial and support for 'holding` said spring: member against said projectingang'e.

6. A gauge comprising, in combination, a sup.- port having a projecting annular flange at-V one end thereof, a bezel having a lateral ilangevsur-- rounding said` projecting flange, a springmember carried by said lateral flangeF and cooperating with said projecting ilange for securing saidH bezel in rotatable relation to said,suppo,rt, a. dial said bezel having means providing a radialshoulder abutted by said dial, and springfmeans be` tween said dial and support for holding-, said1l25 V15er 

